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Last week was the Ake Festival at Abeokuta. For those of you that do not know what it is, it’s an annual book and art festival that holds in Abeokuta each time. Last year was my first time there and I didn’t blog about it but it was the BOMB. I got to meet tons of authors and artists and I even won a cash prize to shop for books at the bookstore there. It was one of the highlights of last year for me and I couldn’t wait for it this year.

Me at AkeFest 2015 with Toni Kan

At Olumo Rock

Me, my sis and Taiye Selasi

Unfortunately I didn’t get to go this year and I’m still not done seething. Ngugi wa Thiong’o was the headline author this year so imagine my annoyance when school and life came in the way of my traveling to Ake this time. Plus there were tons of friends I would have loved to see. So yeah, Ake was the rave of last week and I got to miss it. 💔

Another awesome event I didn’t get to miss was the comedy show, Lord of the Ribs, by Basket Mouth. It was in Port Harcourt this year and it was my first time at a comedy show. It was a lot of fun, perfect date night material. Except I don’t know why it was on a Sunday and late into the night too. Like how are we supposed to get our acts together for Monday? 😑😕

This week I have nothing lined up except exams that hopefully don’t get postponed again. As per fashion, I’ve been craving bow sneakers and kaftans thanks to @Muslimahanie. I went scouting online and found some sneakers on Pinterest similar to hers and I’m absolutely coveting these I saw on The Hunt.

The sneakers from Pinterest ❤️

Can’t wait till I get them. I literally do not have the guts to diy my sneakers at the moment. Lol.

Here’s hoping I find more interesting events to attend with my introverted self.

Like this:

With Ramadan around the corner, there are totally random things I am craving, missing or just wishing I had stocked at home.

A Rainbow Quran

Image from islamshopnyc.com

I have seen these for so long now and I want one this year. The only catch is that I want one with the English translation and most of them are purely Arabic Qurans. It’s not a deal-breaker though. I can not wait to get one, translated or not. 😉

A Nubian Heritage Body Set

Image from nubianheritage.com

I miss, miss, miss this Nubian Heritage Black Soap and Body Wash. It has become so rare and it is a tad ridiculous to buy just a bar of soap online. I just found out that they have a natural deodorant and I can not wait to try it. Anyone know someone who stocks these products in Nigeria? Please?

Abayas

I can never get enough of abayas, literally. These days though, I either want a really simple one or one with something that stands out. I am loving this currently and this.

Rain Boots

Please do not talk to me about how they do not seem realistic in these parts or how I should stay indoors when it rains. Er, sometimes you have to go out, rain or no rain, and I have ruined many a good number of shoes because of the rain. No one controls the weather. I just think having a really pretty pair would be nice because even if you do wait for the rain to pass, the roads can be an utter mess. Have you ever ruined the straps of your flip flops because of the mud? I have. 😐 So yes, I want a pair. A reliable pair. 😐

Tomatoes

I want, need, gotta have a big fat basket of fresh tomatoes and red bell peppers sitting in my kitchen. I didn’t care much for the tomato scarcity at first but now I want to apologise for all the times I took tomatoes for granted. Tomatoes, please come back. I want you for Ramadan. *cries in last spoon of stew*

Like this:

I have had swimming lessons on my bucket list for a long time now and while finding a place to learn was one issue, a bigger problem was not knowing what to wear. I personally needed something that gave me a bit more coverage than a one-piece or boy leg swimsuit.

I had come across the burkini about 3 years ago on a Muslim blog and I absolutely loved the idea. However, I didn’t know where to get one plus I wasn’t even ready to take on lessons yet. Fast forward to the present where I was finally ready to take the leap. I got a way to buy one without paying ridiculous custom charges. I was thrilled. I could not wait to actually wear it to the pool.

For me, this burkini was all I had been looking for. It covered my butt and it had ties at the edges to secure the top to the pants. Someone had issues with how fitted my pants were, which I personally had no problems with, as I was trying to avoid looking frumpy. I couldn’t imagine going with bigger pants especially since I’m still learning but since we are going for modest fashion here, I totally understood.

The major problem I had with it was the fact that it did nothing for your chest. Am I supposed to wear a bra to swim? I think they should come with at least a bikini top to be worn inside the burkini. That was the part that made me really self conscious. I didn’t consider that part before putting it on the outfit.

Unfortunately I didn’t take any ppictures of me wearing it. Mine was a bit more fitted than that in the picture though. All in all, I’m glad I got a modest swimming outfit option. The fact that these weren’t here years ago shows progress in my opinion. Big brands carry these pieces now and it’s refreshing to see that every woman gets an option now when it comes to wearing what she wants. It is absurd and almost insane, in my opinion, that some people think that you are asking for attention by showing up in a bikini. That you are challenging an already set “system” (whatever that means). That encouraging the burkini means encouraging female body shaming.

I am in no way ashamed of my body. As a matter of fact, I love my body too much to keep exposing it to harsh conditions. I mean, minus having people judge whether my ass is thick enough or not, the idea of staying in the sun for hours with most of my skin exposed is not enticing in the slightest. I burn easily in the sun and I’m not about to risk that. Also soaking in a chlorine pool almost naked isn’t exciting either even as much as I love the water. My eyes suffered from all of the chlorinated water and I literally had blurry vision the rest of the day.

I don’t understand how hard it is to understand that people have different reasons for wanting to wear what they choose to. However throw modesty in the mix and we have a problem. Bring out the pitchforks and torches, people!! Seriously, calm down please. I got a lot of stares from people at the pool (mainly women though) and I couldn’t care less what anyone was thinking. You should not have to either, regardless of what you choose to wear.

P.S: Before I forget, do not dry clean your burkini. Except it says so on the label. Most burkinis (and other swimwear I suppose) call for hand cold wash only and make sure to rinse immediately after use. I think dry cleaning ruins the fabric properties.

As you all know, I love to create fashion sets that I would like to wear or would like anyone to get inspiration from. What some of you may (or may not) know is that I have been struggling to “hijabify” my closet and man, it has been so hard. It has been a tough challenge but In shaa Allah I know things would fall in place soon. There is also the issue of the hijab. It is harder than I thought too. I have enough trouble tying my normal turbans and scarves and trying new hijab styles seems so tedious. Trust me, there is such a thing as having a “bad hijab day” and it’s annoying!! LOL. 😥

Anywho, I would be posting more Hijab fashion sets and pleassssse, I would totally love to get any tips and tricks from any of you “established” hijabis. This babe needs it ASAP! 😀

While I might not be the classic Hijabi (Lord knows I am praying and working towards a wardrobe change), I already had tons of ideas popping in my head. So my friend decided that I write about it instead. :). I went ahead and created some sets that could portray some of the ideas I had in mind.

Here goes…

1.

You can wear your wedge sneakers with a maxi gown. I love this particular pair of sneakers because it has the details of your regular pair of Converse but with buckles. I didn’t want it to look like your regular girl-next-door outfit with the maxi dress so I went punk style. I love love love the studded scarf.You can switch the denim jacket for a darker colour or use a leather jacket. Hey, too much leather is never enough right? 😀

2.

I love a well cut side split skirt/dress!!! Makes me feel like Angelina Jolie! LOL! Of course, you have to wear it with a pair of tights if you are a hijabi. Wear it with your fav wedge sneakers instead of your regular heels or flats and get ready to rock the town Angelina Jolie style!

3.

This is the kind of look most people would pair wedge sneakers with, jeans and a tank top. Add a maxi jacket on your tank top to look hijab chic.

I hope you loved the looks. This is a super hurried post and please pardon any mistakes.

Like this:

Last week, my boss criticized my choice of attire. I must admit I was a little too casual for the office (well, maybe a lot), but it was because I was too lazy to get into something “office-like”. I just felt lazy and carefree. If I was not on my New Body Makeover journey, I would have gotten a tub of ice cream and packs of Oreos of chocolate chip cookies and just had a lazy day with a book or movie. That was how tired and lazy and silly I was feeling. Plus, I felt like I needed a lot of sleep. I went squat-crazy the previous day and my butt and thighs hurt (and to think I didn’t even finish my work-outs). All I wanted that day was major TLC. Lots of it. But what I got instead was my boss telling me not to dress like a kid and to start looking more professional (not his exact words though, but close). I was slightly sad, then mad and then I was like “whatever, man!”. I do feel like a kid, so what?! He is lucky I didn’t come to work dressed in a tutu! But the major truth is this: I hate my wardrobe now. I just really want to throw all my stuff out and get clothes that I really, really need. I don’t want to just buy stuff because it looks pretty in the shop and then I hate it when I get home. And the worst thing about me is that I am a cloth hoarder. I take really good care of my clothes so it is so hard to throw anything away because they are always in good condition. The best thing to do is give them out, which I do, sometimes…when I am not hoarding. Heehee.

So since I am not currently in a position to buy new clothes (the life of a graduate is slightly harder than expected), I went to my online wardrobe, Polyvore!!! I made up these outfits that I thought would look great for the office. That’s the only thing I could do to let off steam and sadness.

Here are some of the outfits. What do you think?

I had to put in flats somewhere…:)

Let me know in the comments below if you like (or dislike) any of these styles.

P.S: I did start to dress more office appropriate and my boss did notice and he commended me. I DO love dressing up but it does suck being a ‘grown-up’ and having to dress like this always. LOL. 😥